


So is this bromance or what

by Langlocke



Category: MapleStory
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-07
Updated: 2014-10-07
Packaged: 2019-06-12 04:51:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,597
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15332187
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Langlocke/pseuds/Langlocke
Summary: Prompt: (male)Aran/Older!Evan, Mir gets annoyed that Evan's paying more attention to Aran so he does things like push his way in between the two when they're talking and flops down with a glare at Aran or picks Evan up and walks away lolMan I wrote this years ago, might as well finally post this in the wide, vast Internetz





	So is this bromance or what

**Author's Note:**

> October 7, 2014 : I'M DONE-- but uhm. i think i strayed away from the actual prompt a little. bc i made it 'fighting over evan' rather than 'spending too much time with one or the other' OTL too lazy to change eheh.
> 
> very subtle hints of fanfuri & freud/merc just to make aran the focus. i threw in eun because i love eun. and oh my glob evan you precious baby so fun to write
> 
> 18 July 2018 : oh my goodness 4 years ago. wow. how.   
> anyway a friend prompted me to write this back in the day, I kept meaning to post it here, but lmao stuff like ao3 disconnecting and benig unable to find my document kept setting it back

Evan wasn't exacltly sure when he had agreed to be part of this. 

 

Scratch that, he  _was_  sure that he absolutely had  _not_  agreed to be part of this. 

 

Too bad nobody was listening.

 

Tin the canoneer went flying out of the room, hair set alight as Mercedes and Luminous were trying to control the damage. Mihail and his knights were standing at attention with a confused look on their faces as they wondered how to deal with this. Members of the Resistance were already retreating. Cygnus wore a patient smile; Ninehart a frustrated scowl. Phantom just took one look and laughed his ass off.

 

 

* * *

 

Evan wasn't exactly sure how it started. 

 

Little, unnoticable things, but there was certainly a starting point.

 

Now that he thought about it, that starting point was way, way back -- back when he was a runt and Mir was a baby and they had just barely begun their adventure. 

 

"Wah-heyy!" Aran greeted, slugging an around the younger -- albeit not by that much; biologically anyways -- male. "So you're a Hero too eh? Lilin's been pressurin' me to meet you guys."

 

The warrior was cheerful, friendly, exuberant -- so unlike the frigid Mercedes and the cold Phantom that Evan was thrown momentarily out of the loop. Flailing his arms at his sudden imbalance (Aran was heavy; wow was that all muscle?) Evan thought he was going to face-plant into the ground. Firm arms prevented that though, grabbing him almost effortlessly and lifting his scrawny body upright. Flushing in embarrasment at that display -- in front of a Hero, no less -- Evan was shocked to see none of the scatching or judgemental looks the others had given him. Strangely, the ice blue eyes were filled with warmth. 

 

"Ah; y-yeah," Evan started, dusting imaginary dust off his clothes just to give his hands something to do. "A replacement, actually," he added on, as something like an afterthought. It lacked any bitterness that usually came with such a statement; only holding naive uncertainty. 

 

"Hmph. Well, I guess that means we'll be seeing each other often." Aran's smile was blindingly bright, but Evan could almost pick out a -- a what? A  _thing_  that it held in an undertone.  _Something_.

 

"Anyhoo, I'd better get goin'. That Elf girl -- Mercury-something? -- she's probably quite angry that I'm late. And that lizard of yours looks ready to blow."

 

Sure enough, Mir was huffing, smoke billowing from his nostrils. Evan panicked. "No wait- Mir, we haven't fully practised that move yet please stop --" 

 

The look Mir gave him could freeze ice. The tone of his dragon's voice told him that he greatly disapproved of the warrior.  **/I don't like the way he touched you, master./**

 

Evan gulped, reevaluating how to tackle this problem. Only to turn bright red as he processed his partner's statement. "M-Mir!" he all but squeaked.

 

But it was weird, Evan thought as he replayed the events in his head. The bond he shared with Mir was based on emotion. So if Mir felt a dislike towards the Rienu warrior, why was it that Evan could only feel a genuine camaraderie?

 

* * *

 

 

Evan wasn't exactly sure why it happened.

 

Well, he did have somewhat of a clue. He wasn't that stupid and oblivious. (That was just  _one_ time -- and he was a kid then! And he cleaned up the Black Wings after he realised his mistake!) 

 

Aran's amnesia. That was why; and despite how cruel and difficult it was on the warrior, Evan couldn't help but feel thankful for it. It made him feel sick afterwards, though, but still.

 

The other heroes -- Mercedes, Phantom, Luminous; and a dark haired man that no one else seemed to see -- looked at him with varying degrees of comtempt, outright hatred, apathy, and pity respectively. Evan knew it had to do with his predecessor: Freud Sigurd, the legendary dragon tamer.

 

The True Dragon Tamer. 

 

He was a replacement, and he knew it. He wasn't Freud. He wasn't as skillful or powerful as Freud had been, but he was learning, steadily but slowly. It had been years since he had first met them, but the ice in their eyes had yet to thaw.

 

Except Aran. Aran, who didn't keep comparing him to the previous dragon tamer, if only because he couldn't remember him. Aran, whose support and devotion had never wavered once. Aran, who treated him like an equal instead of someone inferior. 

 

It truly was ironic that Aran held the iciest eyes of all. 

 

Mir nudged him as he noticed his master's downspiralling train of thought. The dragon was growing big now; the size of a small horse, with the beginnings of his trademark onyx darkening his scales.

 

 **/ _You're_  my master,/** Mir said through their link.  **/And I like having you as a master./**

 

"Thanks, Mir," Evan replied with a small smile instead of his previous frown, wrapping an arm over the reptile's torso. Despite being cold-blooded, the dragon was warm, a live fire thriving in place of a heart.

 

Their emotional scene was interrupted by a certain white-haired male. "Hey-o E.V.! Fancy seeing you here!" Aran planted his arms on top of Evan's head, leaning with his full weight. Thankfully, with much training and time, the farm-boy strong enough to withstand it.

 

"Er Aran, Mister Phantom gathered us together on board just a few hours ago..." Evan had to physically restrain his partner as Mir growled threateningly at the warrior.

 

"Well, they always say that my memory's not the best," Aran quipped with a sly wink, even as Evan gaped in shock. He's making a joke about  _that_?

 

"Of course, nothing could erase  _you_  from my deepest recallections -- ahHAHAHAH!" Evan's grip, which had previously slackened, gave enough wriggle room for Mir to send a blast of fire to the warrior, who laughed as he danced away. (In the background, Phantom glared sternly at the potential damage done to his property.)

 

Slow, dense Evan took a while to process that statement and a blush crept up his cheeks. Did Aran just flirt with him?

 

* * *

 

Evan wasn't exactly sure why it had been  _him_  off all people, but it was.

 

His confession didn't go about flawlessly like those in the movies. Not even close.

 

It took a very, almost embarassingly long time for Evan to figure out that Aran was  _interested_ in him. In a way more than just friends. 

 

He also was, apparently, the last to figure it out. Over time, his relationship with the other heroes had smoothed out into a civil sort of understanding. At the very least, Phantom could finally meet his eyes without flinching away.

 

When Mercedes found out, she smiled for the first time in Evan's presence, even if it was just a little bit intimidating.

 

When Phantom found out, he scowled, but the bitterness didn't reach his eyes; instead, there was a kind of empathy.

 

When Luminous found out, he actually snorted out loud. It confused the hell out of Evan.

 

And when the last, ghostly member of the Heroes, whose name he had yet to learn after all these years, found out, he smiled in congratulations, patting his back before disappearing into thin air.

 

Even with all those cues, it took Aran crashing through the window, landing directly on top of him flushed and stuttering like Evan had never seen before, presenting a bouquet of crushed flowers and smushed chocolates while saying obviously rehearsed, romantic pick-up lines. On Valentines Day.

 

As Evan froze in confusion, Mir immediately pounced, claws fully extended and snarling vicously, mana already accumulating in his snout in preparation for an attack.

 

Maha was Aran's only barrier between a painful life and a quick death, and the pole-arm reacted defensively just in time for Evan to catch up and call Mir off. The dragon tamer had to tame his dragon by dragging him down by the horns; even with Evan's full weight, it wasn't that effective. Mir had grown slightly taller than himself, even after Evan had gone though puberty. Shouting into the reptile's ears to snap him out of whatever blood lust he held, Mir finally calmed down and was given a stern talking to of why they shouldn't attack allies. The dragon only huffed, now that the warrior was out of sight.

 

Only later, once things wound down, did Evan realise that Aran had confessed his love to him. He also realised that he had yet to give an answer.

 

His mind drew a blank. Sure, they had been long-standing friends, quite close as they stuck through thick and thin, having only each other to fully rely on. 

 

Definitely, Aran was nice and sweet and kind, and Evan certainly enjoyed his presence. And yes, Evan had to admit that Aran was... rather handsome...

 

 **/No,/**  was Mir's only response to the topic, and Evan was at a dilemma. Not quite so much as a dilemma than selfish desire; as Evan knew he was never give up Mir for anything, but that didn't mean he didn't  _mind_  being Aran's b-bo -- b-boyf-friend...

 

But he couldn't. If Mir had come to a decision so vehemently, Evan could never bring himself to overrule it. When he told that to Aran the next morning -- using careful, cautious words -- Aran merely accepted it. There was a touch of resignation and hurt in the warriors blue eyes that made Evan wince, but Aran's determination covered it up completely.

 

He seemed to take this as a challege. Aran would do whatever it took to get him.

 

* * *

 

 

The worst thing was that Evan couldn't exactly be sure where it could happen. 

 

Anywhere, everywhere -- so long as those two were together, something happened. More often than not, it was something bad.

 

Ever since his confession, Aran's relationship with Mir had deteriorated even further, if that was actually possible. Mir was adament on keeping the two humans apart, whereas Aran was just as stubborn doing the opposite.  

 

It was, unfortunately, an all out war for Evan's attention. Mir stood alert at all times watching out for evil Rienu warriors that wanted to steal his master away. He kept as close as possible to his human, even once following him to the bathroom. (Only to be chased out by a loudly blushing and shrieking Evan)

 

Aran kept trying to tempt the dragon away for all his worth. Because even if he was ruining his chances for a relationship, Aran knew how precious the dragon was to Evan. Especially so since said dragon was now fully grown and larger than a carraige; capable to decimating the battle field with a single attack. 

 

Evan had only tolerated it with the patience of a saint, comprehending that this was partially his own fault as well. His attempts to make they try to get along, ever since their first encounter, had been in vain, so current attempts had been put off as the results had been rather explosive.

 

Whenever the two were placed in a room together, Mir attacked and Aran cursed and Evan was caught in the middle of it all. Everyone soon learned to avoid that as much as possible.

 

However, some situations absolutely required the presence of  _all_  important figures, including the three. 

 

Which led to their current predicament in the Maple Alliance Council Room.

 

* * *

 

Evan wasn't exactly sure what was happening.

 

It started as usual; representatives from every class that stood against the Black Wings gathered together in Ereve for an update meeting. Evan, who had been previously excused from them due to being a child, was finally allowed to attend after he reached his majority a few years back. It was the same drill every quarterly: progress report, suggestions, voting, ajournment. Only this time, a feuding Aran and Mir were present. 

 

They remained civil at first, understanding that it wasn't safe to battle here, not in front of the Empress. But it was something else that really got on Evan's nerves.

 

The glaring. The huffing. The pointed looks. The veiled attempted of underhanded attacking. It had become a regularity over the weeks, but for some reason, seeing them do it in front of everyone else made Evan, who was raised on politeness, just snap.

 

Everyone in attendance were fierce and capable fighters, but no one was prepared when Evan's mana flared, outrage and anger nearly palpable. Everyone was so used to seeing Evan as the mild-mannered farm-boy, that seeing him furious threw a gigantic wrench into everything. 

 

"Alright." He didn't shout; his volume had hardly deviated from his usual inside-voice, but there was a hard edge of steel lining his words. "This has been going on for far too long."

 

Slamming down his palms on the table, Evan momentarily ignored everyone in the room but his two comrades. He didn't realise the looks of shock as the Heroes saw a piece of Freud in him -- the leader, the peacemaker, the guardian; he didn't realise the knowing look Cygnus and Shinsoo were giving him, the holy beast already lifting the Empress tighter into her protective embrace; he didn't realise the wistfulness that played on Phantom's visage, who had completely lost his poker face and was openly staring at the exchange with awe.

 

"I'm sorry," was what Evan's speech began with, pain apparent in his sky-blue eyes. "I've been trying to consider the best interests of both of you, but this certainly isn't working out. Mir," he started with his longest partner. "I know that you care about me; I can definitely feel it, and I understand that you think that this is right but you can't be selfish. I will always be yours, just as you will always be mine -- we made a contract, remember? But I still have friends, who are your friends as well, and possisiveness like this would ruin all our relationships in the end.

 

"Aran," he turned to his second best friend. "I understand how you f-feel about me," he stuttered once, fighting to control the rising blush in his cheeks. "But I don't think I can reciprocrate fully, not yet at least. I feel something, definitely, but I can't match your depth and intensity just yet. Especially not with the current problem.

 

"So can we  _please_ please," Evan was begging, he knew, but he was desperate. "Make this up between us?"

 

Everyone blinked and then the spell was broken. 

 

Mir snorted fire towards the white-haired man, who responded by blocking with Maha. Then things got messy. 

 

Weapons were drawn but no one intervened the fight between dragon and man -- except for Tin, who got his hair set on fire and was promptly kicked out of the room. Metal clashed with ivory; gold eyes locked with blue; fire fought against ice. (They were being surprisingly considerate by keeping the destruction in the middle of the room).

 

Evan face-palmed, groaning in frustration and marched into the chaos, confident in his magical ability to keep himself protected from the crossfire. Throwing a few shields up, the Magician reached his Dragon, pulling his neck into a tight embrace, before snatching the collar of the Warrior and pulling him into a chaste kiss. 

 

"I can't understand; what exactly is wrong with sharing?"

 

* * *

 

Epilogue thing:

 

Aran and Mir make up (kind of) if only because Evan insisted. They can now at least stand in each others presence. (But behind Evan's back, they trade sly grins and come up with more plans to see a flustered dragon tamer) 

 

Heroes accept Evan as one of their own after some time (finally lol). They totally kick the Black Mage's butt and nobody dies this time. 

 

Tin gets forgotten in a corner. 


End file.
